vanessa dorsey

For Shannon

He didn’t have to wake up
He’d been up all night
Layin’ there in bed
listenin’
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes
water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It’s gonna be
OK

It won’t be like this for long
One day we’ll look back
laughin’
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So
baby just hold on
‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30
She’s crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She’s clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don’t you worry
This’ll only last a week
or two

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon you’ll drop her off
And she won’t even know you’re gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon
she’ll be a teenager
And at times he’ll think she hates him
Then he’ll walk her down the aisle
And he’ll raise her veil
But right now she’s up and cryin’
And the truth is that he don’t mind

As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers
He lays down there beside her
‘Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah, this phase
is gonna fly by
So, he’s tryin’ to hold on